title: Enforced TAL-1 expression stimulates primitive, erythroid and megakaryocytic progenitors but blocks the granulopoietic differentiation program.
abstract: In human adult hematopoiesis, the TAL-1 gene is up- and down-modulated in erythropoiesis and granulopoiesis, respectively [G. L. Condorelli et al., Blood, 86: 164-175, 19951. Here, it is shown that, in a hematopoietic progenitor cell (HPC) unilineage differentiation culture, tal-1 is induced and then expressed, in a sustained manner, in the megakaryopoietic lineage, whereas it is barely or not detected in the monocytopoietic series. We have investigated the role of enforced tal-1 expression by retroviral transfer into HPCs [erythroid burst-forming units and megakaryocytic and granulomonocytic colony-forming units (CFUs)], primitive HPCs (high proliferative potential colony-forming cells), and putative hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), assayed as long-term culture initiating cells. TAL-1 overexpression induces an increase of erythroid burst-forming unit colony number and size and megakaryocytic CFU colony number and an inhibition of granulomonocytic CFU and granulocytic CFU (CFU-G) but not monocytic CFU colony number; conversely, TAL-1 mutants with defective heterodimerizing or DNA-binding domains do not exert these effects at a significant level. Although it does not affect long-term culture initiating cells, exogenous TAL-1 causes a significant proliferative stimulus on primary and secondary high proliferative potential colony-forming cells. In conclusion, exogenous tal-1 exerts differential and stage- and lineage-specific effects on the HPC/HSC differentiation/proliferation gene programs. Thus, it induces a stimulatory effect at the level of erythroid and megakaryocytic HPCs, while exerting a selective proliferative action on downstream erythropoiesis. Furthermore, it induces differential effects on the myeloid series: the partial blockade of CFU-G differentiation is possibly linked to the sharp down-modulation of endogenous TAL-1 expression at the level of the CFU-G-to-granulopoietic precursor differentiation step; in contrast, no significant effect is observed on monocytic CFU colony formation. Finally, the stimulatory effect on primitive HPCs but not putative stem cells suggests subtle differences in the effects exerted by tal-1 overexpression on primitive HPC/HSC subsets in adult life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Oncology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Valtieri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tocci
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gabbianelli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luchetti
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Masella
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vitelli
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Botta
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Testa
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Condorelli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peschle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D019070:Cell Lineage; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D003470:Culture Media; D046508:Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015672:Erythroid Precursor Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D004920:Erythropoiesis / Q000187:drug effects; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D006410:Hematopoiesis / Q000187:drug effects; D016298:Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins / Q000494:pharmacology; D008533:Megakaryocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D012190:Retroviridae / Q000235:genetics; D000073942:T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Protein 1; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D003470:Culture Media; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D016298:Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors; D007378:Interleukins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000073942:T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Protein 1; D014157:Transcription Factors; C067143:TAL1 protein, human